One is the former French colony Congo and the other is the former Belgian colony Congo. When people refer to the messed up Congo they usually refer to the Belgian one, though they are both shitholes of course.

One is the former French colony Congo and the other is the former Belgian colony Congo. When people refer to the messed up Congo they usually refer to the Belgian one, though they are both shitholes of course.

I just started reading this extraordinary book called Exterminate All the Brutes. I bought it used and knew nothing about it, and didn't expect to much of it, but it's unlike any book I have ever read. The author takes his title from Heart of Darkness and that's his jumping off point for a book that's a travelogue, literary criticism, a biography of Joseph Conrad, a history of the: evolution debate, colonialism/genocide in Africa and elsewhere, 18th century weaponry among other things.

from its days as the Congo Free State and being a slave labour camp for King Leopold to being a country with billions of dollars of mineral wealth being robbed by anyone and everyone. It's shocking how much of everything we own is partly tainted with the blood of people suffering in the 3rd world. However, it is not like much can be done about it though, since those minerals go into everything that we use in our daily lives.

from its days as the Congo Free State and being a slave labour camp for King Leopold to being a country with billions of dollars of mineral wealth being robbed by anyone and everyone. It's shocking how much of everything we own is partly tainted with the blood of people suffering in the 3rd world. However, it is not like much can be done about it though, since those minerals go into everything that we use in our daily lives.

You should be happy about it, there are millions of people that would love to be in your position to live a comfy life and buy cheap shit from walmart. Its either you or them.

I'll let you in on a secret. The key is you need a good fabric guy. I got a good fabric guy.

Some of these little hipster hotshots come out the Rhode Island School of Design or Parsons, God help them, the Art Institute of Chicago and think they're going wrap up the world, but they pay by the yard. Retail. They don't last long in my business. I buy wholesale by the acre.

Take for example this one

The client wanted greens and blues than blended in with nature. But greens and blues are going to kill my profit margins. Meanwhile my fabric guy just had a Sikh temple cancel an order on him and he is stuck with a warehouse in Jersey filled with bright screaming orange that he can't move, but he'll let me take it for 6 cents a square yard as long as I carry it away myself. So I convince my client that this bright screaming eyesore orange is just what he needs. I say, "I think we want so subvert that paradigm and take the viewer away from what could be just a vulgar pastiche and let them experience a true feeling of temporality." Then I look at him like only jackoffs wouldn't know exactly what I'm saying. And after a minute he says, "I agree."

So I buy ugly orange charge him for soothing green and blue and pocket the difference. And that's how you stay in the site specific textile artist game.